Is there any restaurant that rappers love more than Benihana? The vaguely Japanese chain—known for its theatrical chefs and massive portions of seafood and fried rice—seems to be name-checked almost as often as top-shelf liquor in the hip-hop canon. Sometimes, the reasons are opportunistic: The high-flying chopping skills of the Benihana staff make for easy metaphors about slicing up foes, slinging drugs, and the like. But it would also appear that a lot of rappers simply love onion volcanos, Hibachi Chateaubriand, and Beni-Tinis.
Want some evidence? Click through the slideshow to listen to our 10 favorite Benihana references in rap. When you’re done, we highly recommend reading this hilarious essay on the topic, which we found while trying to make sense of some of these couplets over at RapGenius.com.
